


Letters and Learning

by yellowflowers



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Minecraft Story Mode
Genre: Enemies to Friends, F/M, Forgiveness, Pining, Reconciliation, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-04 05:11:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13357221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowflowers/pseuds/yellowflowers
Summary: “-You received a letter from someone named Aiden? Something about wanting to redeem himself. No idea what that means.-”---Aiden wants to redeem himself and Jesse decides to give him a second chance. Lukas is less eager on reconciling with his former friend, but Aiden is determined to prove himself somehow...





	1. Letters Sent

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place almost right after the season 2 finale! I let Radar finish his little rant at the end and I was so surprised when I heard Aiden wanted to be redeemed? Consider me shooketh.

\---

Stars twinkle in the dark sky and Lukas sighs. He’s perched on the roof of his humble home and since it isn’t super close to the lights of Beacontown, the sky is full of stars, with a full and heavy moon to watch over them. He can hear the faint groan of monsters in the distance, but he isn’t troubled. He feels a great sense of calm as a soft breeze wafts over him and runs through his hair. The roof is definitely his favorite thinking spot.

 

 _‘I should write poetry about this night, it’s so pretty,’_ he hums. _‘It’d probably be super cheesy though, I’m better at prose than poetry. Besides, I didn’t come here just for the stars, as pretty as they are.”_

 

It had been a week since the day the New Order of the Stone had all gone their separate ways, since their tearful goodbye. Well, Axel’s tearful goodbye; everyone else seemed happy and hopeful that they would all meet again. Jesse had decided to stay in Beacontown and they were walking back to the Order Hall while Radar had gone on and on about all of the things that had to be done. Throughout his whole spiel, only one thing really got his attention.

 

“-You received a letter from someone named Aiden? Something about wanting to redeem himself. No idea what that means.-”

 

It felt like a ton of bricks had hit him. Aiden wanted redemption? What could that possibly mean? Lukas bristles at the thought of having to be nice to Aiden after everything he had put him and his friends through. But he knows that Jesse is probably going to want to do her best to make amends with Aiden anyway. That was just the type of person she was.

 

Lukas smiles fondly. He’s glad that Jesse was able to see beyond their rivalry and to accept him so readily into her group. He thinks back to the start of it all, back to when she had asked him to keep an eye out for Ivor, their first real conversation. He can remember how nervous he was when he saw her approaching; he had asked Petra earlier to put in a good word for him, but he wasn’t sure if Jesse would actually try to befriend him.

 

_‘I definitely owe Petra one though; I wouldn’t have been brave enough to strike up a conversation with Jesse on my own. Especially since Aiden was such a jerk to her and Axel and Olivia all the time.’_

 

A heavy sigh drags itself out of Lukas’ lungs.

 

_‘Aiden… why’d you have to go make a mess out of everything?’_

 

Lukas stands from his spot and begins to make his down to bed. It’s getting late and he wants to get up early tomorrow. Jesse had asked him to come over, so he could only assume that they were going to go over Aiden’s letter together. He takes a last look at the moon and hopes that whatever happens, it’ll all be okay somehow.

 

\---

 

Lukas walks into the Order Hall bright and early, ready for the day. He already sees Jesse and Radar talking amongst themselves, probably going over the to-do list of the day.

 

“Hey guys!”, Lukas says with a cheery wave.

 

The two turn to greet him.

 

“Hey Lukas!” “Good morning sir!”

 

Lukas chuckles. “You know you don’t have to call me sir anymore Radar. We're all friends here.”

 

Radar smiles sheepishly. “I know, it's just kind of a habit at this point. Ahem, have you had breakfast yet? We have an assortment of fresh fruit, pies, cakes, cookies..”

 

“I already ate but I'll take a cookie, if it's not too much trouble.”

 

“Not at all!” Radar exclaims. He’s already turned to leave for the pantry. “What about you Jesse? Would you like anything?”

 

“No thanks Radar, I'm good,” Jesse says.

 

Radar hurries out and Lukas turns to Jesse, shaking his head fondly. “He does realize that he's not obligated to do any of that anymore, right? He’s not an intern anymore.”

 

Jesse laughs and throws her hands up in fake exasperation. “That's what I keep telling him, but he absolutely insists anyway! I mean I'm definitely not complaining, he’s been so helpful, but I wish he’d take it easy sometimes.”

 

“Yeah, me too. So what's on the agenda for today, Mayor Jesse?” he asks with a cheeky grin.

 

Jesse's demeanour became a bit more serious. “Well you know, we've apparently received a letter from Aiden, all the way from the ground underneath Sky City.”

 

Lukas’s grin shifts into neutral expression. “Did you read it yet?”

 

“No, but Radar had glanced over it and gotten a gist of it. I thought you’d like to read with me since...” Jesse trails off.

 

“...since he used to be my friend.” Lukas fills in the blank for her. “Its ok Jesse. And thank you for this, I appreciate it.”

 

Jesse only nods and she takes an envelope out of her inventory. She walks over to Lukas as she pulls the letter from it and it unfolds.

 

Together they read.

  


_Dear Jesse,_

_I um. I know we've left things off on a… pretty bad note and I know that you've probably moved on or whatever and I'm the last person you want hear from… I'm just gonna cut to the chase. I want to redeem myself. I know I did you and Lukas and everyone else wrong and I want to make it up to you guys. I've served my time here for the people of Sky City, and I’m still under supervision, but I talked to Isa and Milo and they agreed that it would be okay for me to leave if you were to agree to it. To tell you the truth… I really miss home. The people here have been nice enough not to exile me and Maya and Gill, they offered us a place with them, but it’s not_ _home_ _. I’m rambling for too long, sorry. The point is I want to do everything I can to make it up to you, but I’d understand if you want nothing to do with me anymore. I’ll be waiting for your response._

_Sincerely, Aiden._

 

_P.S. Thanks for taking me with you off the island. Reginald was right; it was a lot more than I deserved._

  


Jesse looked up at Lukas. “What do you think?” she asked softly.

 

“He sounds...different.” Lukas said carefully. Truthfully, he didn’t know what to make of it.

 

_‘Whatever I was expecting from Aiden, it certainly wasn’t this. He actually sounds...sorry.’_

 

“Yeah he does-” “I’ve got your cookie, si- Lukas!”

 

Jesse is interrupted by Radar who came bounding in the hall, proudly holding chocolate chip cookies in his hands. He immediately takes in the scene and realizes the mood doesn’t call for cookies at the moment.

 

“I’m sorry! I interrupted something important, didn’t I?”, he says apologetically.

 

“It’s ok Radar, we were just reading over some of the mail we got.” Jesse says easily.

 

“Well in that case, I brought cookies!” Radar hands one to the both of them.

 

“My favorite! Thanks!” exclaims Lukas.

 

“Radar, you didn’t have to bring one for me, I’m not even that hungry!” Jesse protests.

 

“Jesse, as your loyal- friend,” Radar chokes up with emotion, “it is my solemn vow to look after your well being, and I insist that you eat so you can keep your health and strength!”

 

Jesse sighs and takes a bite out of the cookie in defeat. It was hard to deny him when he gets all excited like that. “Thanks Radar.”

 

He beams. “My pleasure! So which letter did you guys go over?”

 

“The one sent by Aiden.” Lukas replies.

 

“Oh that one! That certainly was an odd one! He sure seemed sorry over whatever it is he did to you guys. If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly did he do?” Radar asked curiously.

 

“Do you remember the story of Sky City?” Jesse replied.

 

“Do I ever!”

 

“This is the same Aiden who attempted to steal the Eversource, destroyed the island and nearly killed everyone on it. Especially me.”

 

“Oh...wow.” Radar said. “I guess he really does have a lot to make up for then, huh?”

 

“Yep.” she said, popping the last syllable.

 

“So… what are you going to do about it?” he asked timidly.

 

Jesse huffs. “Well, I guess we can start by writing a letter back.” She turns to Lukas and smiles softly. “Do you wanna help out? You’ve always been better at the written word than I have.”

 

Lukas feels his heart do a small flutter before replying. “Sure.”

 

The trio head into a nearby office and sit themselves down around a desk. Radar takes out a quill and some paper and is about to write the standard salutations when Jesse stops him.

 

“Actually Radar, this is a more personal matter, so I’d rather write the letter myself.”

 

“Oh of course! It’s just -heh habits I guess,” he says sheepishly as he hands over the quill and paper to Jesse. “I’ll just leave the both of you to it then. Yell if you need anything!” Radar excuses himself out the room.

 

Jesse looks to Lukas. ”So do you want him to come over?”

 

“I’m not sure, to tell you the truth. I want to give him a second chance, but I’m still..” Lukas clenches his jaw and his hands curl into fists.

 

 _‘I’m still_ **_angry_ ** _. Why would he do that to us? To me? We were friends!’’_

 

Jesse doesn’t miss the way he grits his teeth and she winces. “I know it’s hard, I can’t imagine how this must feel to you. But... I feel like this might be good for you. For all of us. Maybe we can finally get some closure on this whole thing.”

 

Lukas relaxes and he nods. “You’re right. It wouldn’t be fair to turn him down like that. He’s making an effort at least,” he sighs.

 

“Exactly.” She begins to write.

 

Lukas watches as she scratches words onto the paper. She always looks so soft whenever she’s focusing on something; she looked the same way when she was solving a puzzle on one of their many shared adventures. But in the soft glow of the redstone lanterns, she looks impossibly warm. Her silky brown hair frames her wonderfully tan face and deep brown eyes flit over the paper rereading her own words. Lukas feels his heart to begin pound and he wonders if she can hear it.

 

Jesse looks up and Lukas hurriedly tears his gaze away, hoping she’d ignore the heat that’s surely painted across his face. Thankfully, she doesn’t seem to notice as she pushes her letter over to him. “What do you think? Do you wanna add anything?”

  


_Dear Aiden,_

_Your letter really surprised us, it was… unexpected, to say the least. But it was appreciated all the same. Lukas and I talked and we would be glad to give you a second chance. As of now, the rest of the New Order are in their own towns or out on an adventure (Petra), so you’d just be left with the two of us if you were to stay over. When should we come to pick you up at the portal? Will Maya and Gill be coming too?_

_Sincerely, Jesse_

 

 _P.S. I know we’ve had our differences, but I’m glad that we can finally put that behind us, so thank_ _you_ _for being brave enough to reach out to us :)_

  


Lukas reads over it and scoffs. “A smiley face?”

 

Jesse chuckles. “I’m a smiley person, how else was I supposed to show it? Besides this is supposed to be a friendly letter! Nothing better for non-hostility than a nice smile.” She flashes a wide grin at him and it does nothing to calm the warm flutters in Lukas’s chest.

 

“Well I guess you’re not wrong. I think this letter is good to go.” Lukas concedes as he hands the letter back to her.

 

Jesse folds the letter and stuffs it into a prepared envelope as she rises out of her seat. “Coolio. Let’s go put this in the outgoing mailbox.”

 

Lukas follows her out of the office.

 

_‘Jesse seems really hopeful about this. I just hope Aiden doesn’t mess it up this time.’_

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me some comments and some feedback! Did I get the characters down? If not, how can I improve? Thank you so much for reading!


	2. Coming Back Home

\---

 

Lukas fidgets as he walks down the portal hall with Jesse. They had gotten a quick response with a date and time and confirmation that Aiden would be coming by himself.

 

_ ‘I guess it makes sense. Gill never really liked confrontation and Maya, well… she never learned how to let go of a grudge. It must have been hard for Aiden to reach out, knowing he’d probably be doing it on his own.’ _

 

Lukas can sympathize with Aiden on that level at least. When he had first joined Jesse’s group in the Nether, it was… scary. It wasn’t just the hellish realm that he was in, though that was certainly a big part of it. Everyone was unfamiliar, there was a giant raging monster destroying their home and he didn’t have the comfort of the Ocelots to back him up. Not even Petra was there because well… she couldn’t. So if anything, Lukas at least appreciates that Aiden is willing to leave his comfort zone for the sake of rebuilding connections.

 

That didn’t stop Lukas from being on edge, however. Was he being unfair? Maybe. But he wasn't going to let Aiden take advantage of Jesse and her kindness.

 

“You know what's funny?” Jesse breaks the silence. “It feels like it's been ages since we've left this hallway but at the same time, it feels like we just got back from it.”

 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Lukas agrees. “Since there’s so many worlds attached to this place, it would make sense that time feels a little off here. At least that’s what I think.”

 

“I think you might be right,” Jesse simply replies.

 

They stop at the end of the hall in front of the golden portal that would take them to Sky City. Or rather, the “Void” beneath it.

 

Jesse takes a deep breath and looks over to Lukas. “You ready?”

 

Lukas holds her gaze for a moment. The soft blue glow of the active portal flutters across her face, making her look ethereal. Even with her slightly anxious expression, her stance shows that she is determined. She is steady and it eases Lukas’s nerves considerably.

 

He nods. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

 

They walk through the portal and pop out the other side.

 

\---

 

They land with a  _ whump _ on a sunny, grassy knoll.

 

“Ugh,” Jesse stands up and rubs her sore back side. “You’d think after all that portal hopping, we would’ve gotten better at landing.”

 

“Yeah,” Lukas spits out a piece of grass that had gotten into his mouth when he landed face first. “At least, we landed somewhere soft this time.”

 

Jesse hums in agreement as she turns around trying to spot any form of civilization. Suddenly, her face brightens and she excitedly pats Lukas’s shoulder.

 

“Lukas look!” Lukas follows her line of sight and he sees a small village, down the other side of the hill. 

 

“That must be the Sky people. Let’s go, Isa and Milo are probably already waiting for us!” Her hand shifts down from his shoulder and she grabs his hand, tugging him along, unaware of how red he turned at her touch.

 

_ ‘Ohmygod she’s holding my hand, is it sweaty? It’s definitely sweaty now, she thinks it’s so gross, she thinks that I’M gross oh god, am I holding her hand weird? I can’t hold it too loose or she’s gonna think that I don’t wanna hold her hand, so should I be more firm?? NO because then she’s gonna think that I’m some kind of weirdo that doesn’t know the proper hand holding etiquette! Does hand holding etiquette even eXIST-’ _

 

“Wow!” Jesse abruptly interrupts Lukas’s downward spiral into sweaty hands. “The village isn’t as small as it looks, I can't wait to see what kind of amazing builds the people have done.” 

 

“Y-yeah, they’ve definitely done a lot of work, considering they started from the ground up,” Lukas stuttered.

 

They were told to meet up at the back of the village and as they neared, they spot Isa and Milo nearby a shop.

 

“Oh hey, there they are!”Jesse begins to wave and she speeds up a bit, still leading Lukas by the hand.

 

“Isa! Milo!” Jesse shouts to grab their attention as she begins to wave with her free hand.

 

They turn at Jesse’s shout and Lukas sees their eyes flit toward their joined hands. He sees Isa give him a knowing smile and Milo winks at him and there’s no way he can turn any redder at this point.

 

All of this flies by Jesse and she finally lets go of his hand to properly greet the two. 

 

“Hello again, Jesse and Lukas.” Isa kindly shook their hands.

 

“Yes, hello to the both of you! Glad to be meeting you again under less strenuous conditions!” Milo chuckled as he pulled both of them for a quick hug.

 

“Yeah definitely better than being under attack by a bunch of monsters. This place looks great, by the way,” Lukas added.

 

“It was through all of our combined efforts that we were able to make a life here. Again, we must thank you for your help in leading my people to safety and for establishing our shared power,” Isa beams as she gestures between herself and Milo.

 

“Indeed! Those Blaze Rods turned out to be a blessing in disguise! A very angry and mean blessing, but a blessing all the same.” Milo added. 

 

“You are very welcome, Isa and Milo. And uh, speaking of Blaze Rods, where’s Aiden?” Jesse asked.

 

“Oh right. I believe he might still be saying his final goodbyes to his friends. We went ahead and waited for you here. Come along!” said Milo.

 

The two follow Isa and Milo to a plain little hut at the end of the path. There, they see Aiden in a group hug with Maya and Gill. 

 

Lukas is a bit taken aback at the sight. In all the years that he and Aiden have been friends, he knew that Aiden typically had an aversion to hugs. Had he really changed that much?

 

They break apart as the four newcomers approach them. Aiden turns to them and clears his throat. Lukas finds himself having to look up a little to meet Aiden’s eyes. Apparently, he’s also gotten a little taller over time. Lukas glances at Aiden’s hand and sees him continuously rub the edge of his thumbnail across his index finger. A subtle nervous habit of his.

 

“Hi Jesse. Hey Lukas,” he says casually.

 

“Hi Aiden. It’s uh, been a while.” Jesse replies, trying not to make things any more awkward than they already are.

 

“Yep, it sure has been.” Aiden says.

 

Gil and Maya quietly turn to go. Jesse and Lukas catch their eye as they leave. Gil only gives a small smile and a nod in acknowledgement. Maya just holds their gaze for a hot second before turning away.

 

An uncomfortable silence lingers for a moment before Milo suddenly clears his throat. “Jesse! You haven’t seen the rest of the town yet. Would you like a tour before you go?”

 

“Oh! Yeah sure! I’d love to.” Jesse quickly agrees.

 

“Right this way then, if you please.” Isa and Milo lead the way back into town as the three follow.

 

They all walked into town and saw the sights, which now included a bigger community garden and a lovely fountain.  There was even a small memorial to honor the Order that brought them to the ground. 

 

People waved and pointed at Jesse. They murmured amongst themselves.

 

“It’s her! The Ground Finder!”

“No really!?” 

“Yes, it’s her!” 

“I heard that she fought the Old Builders! And won!”

“She did?!” 

“I heard that she faced an Admin! And punched him in the face!”

“Wow!”

“Wait, what’s she doing with Aiden?”

 

Aiden seemed to shrink a little under the townspeople's glares.

 

Finally, they neared the path that lead out of the village. They continue to converse until they reach the portal in the crack in the ground. Aiden remained silent, only seeming to take in the scenery.

 

“Well, I believe this is where we part. Farewell to all of you, I wish you safe travels.” Isa says kindly.

 

“Yes, yes. Best of luck to all of you. Please come visit us at anytime, we’d love to have you over.” Milo smiles.

 

“Absolutely! I’m very glad to see the work that you and your people have done. You both should be proud.” Jesse says diplomatically. She shakes their hands one last time and she steps through the portal first.

 

Lukas turns to them. “It’s been great seeing you again.”

 

Isa smiles. “Likewise, Lukas. I must say some congratulations are in order as well. Jesse is a rather charming woman, I’m glad to see the both of you together.”

 

Lukas choked on his farewell. Aiden remains silent, but his eyes give Lukas a somewhat incredulous look.

 

Milo gives Lukas a sly wink and a hefty pat on the shoulder. “I knew it since I laid eyes on the both of you that it was bound to happen. You’ve got quite a catch there, friend.”

 

“Y-You’ve got it all wrong! Jesse and I are friends. Just friends! W-we’re not a couple.” Lukas sputtered. He was fairly certain that his face was hot enough to cook an egg at this point.

 

Aiden only raised his eyebrows. 

 

Isa rushed to apologize. “Oh my. I’m very sorry to assume, it’s just-”

 

“What are you waiting for then? Go on, my boy, go woo her!” Milo began to push him toward the portal, as Lukas protested. “There isn’t anything to fear! Just be brave! Good luck!”

 

With a final shove, Lukas was out the portal and in the hall again.

 

\---

 

“Hey are you ok? It looked like you were pushed.” Jesse asks concernedly.

 

“Yeah, I-I’m fine. I just -uh tripped, but I’m good, thanks.” Lukas quickly excuses himself.

 

“Alright, if you say so,” Jesse replies. “Where’s Aiden?”

 

“He was right next to me when I went in. Maybe he’s talking to Isa and Milo?” 

 

Before Jesse could reply, Aiden walked through. The look of utter surprise as he took in the grand portal hall made Jesse chuckle.

 

“Yeah, that’s what I felt like too.”

 

“S-so there are actually  _ more _ worlds than just- ?” Aiden trails off, still taking in the vast amount of portals.

 

“Yup,” Jesse turns and begins to walk down the hall toward the “home” portal, with Aiden and Lukas falling in step beside her. “When we left through the Sky portal, we found this place and we had to go through countless portals trying to find the one that led to home! There was a lot that happened, I could go on and on, but Lukas actually wrote a book on it.”

 

“Oh you did?” Aiden turns to him, intrigued.

 

Lukas was caught a bit off guard. Apparently no one is awkward now except for him, which is… unexpected, but good. They are trying to be friends after all and conversation almost always works for tense situations (something that Jesse certainly seemed to pick up on during their adventures). Not wanting to seem stiff, he answers Aiden’s query.

 

“Yeah, I’ve been writing up our journey. The first volume should be in the Order Hall, if you wanted to -erm…” 

 

_ ‘You idiot, what are you doing? Do you really think that’s what he wants to do once he comes back? “Hey do you wanna read the book I wrote about all the cool stuff that my new friends and I did while you were stuck in prison?” Who says that?!’ _

 

“Don’t overthink it Lukas. Of course, I’m gonna read your book. It might even end up as inspiration.” Aiden says bluntly.

 

“Yeah, that’s right! You said something about becoming writer; how’s that been going for you?” Jesse asks.

 

“Eh. I wrote out a few stories, but they’re just drafts. I haven’t been able to get anyone to read over them yet, they were always busy.” Aiden shrugged.

 

“Well if you want, Lukas and I would be happy to read them.” Jesse comments, giving Lukas a pointed look.

 

“That’s really nice of you guys, thanks.” Aiden says softly.

 

Jesse comes to a stop in front of the orange portal. “Here it is. Home is through there.”

 

Aiden visibly gulps, his fingers picking up his nervous habit again. He gives them both a small nod before straightening his posture. Lukas recognizes this little habit of his as well. A habit Aiden falls back on whenever he’s bracing himself for something. 

 

Then, without any hesitation, Aiden briskly walks into the portal to the other side.

 

Jesse turns to Lukas. “I think it’s going well so far, what do you think?”

 

He ponders the question for a second. “I think…  maybe we should get down there before someone else finds him.”

 

Both of them know he was avoiding the question, but Jesse just shrugs it off. “C’mon then.”

 

They walk through the portal and pop back into the Order Hall, expecting Aiden to be taking a look around the Order Hall.

 

Instead, they were greeted to the sight of Aiden struggling to break free from the headlock Ivor caught him in. In the distance, they could hear Radar’s muffled screech of “INTRUDERS!”

 

_ ‘Oh geez.’ _

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading and for the kudos! I'm really glad y'all are liking it so far <3


	3. Crying and Trying

\---

 

“IVOR STOP!” Jesse panicked as she ran over to pry his arms off Aiden.

 

“Yeah man let go!” Aiden wheezed as he tried to break free.

 

“Jesse!” Ivor abruptly drops Aiden like a sack of potatoes. “You’ve come just in time. As you can see, I’ve successfully apprehended the intruder with my awesome ninja skills. Feel free to shower me with praise.”

 

“Ivor, this isn’t an intruder. He’s our guest!” Jesse chides him as she helps Aiden to his feet.

 

“Are you okay?” she asks.

 

“Yeah I’m fine,” Aiden clears his throat. “He’s a lot stronger than he looks, I’ll give him that.”

 

Lukas couldn’t help but notice that Jesse still hadn’t let go of Aiden’s arms after helping him up. An odd detail to be focused on, but he can’t bring himself to look away. What is this feeling? It's not quite anger, but it’s pretty close to it.

 

Lukas is about to speak up when they hear a muffled shout quickly get louder.

 

Radar bursts into the room, hollering and brandishing an iron sword, “TASTE MY BRAVERY!”, but he comes to a screeching halt upon seeing Jesse and Lukas.

 

“Jesse! Lukas! You’re back!”, Radar immediately sheathes the sword and happily jogs over to them. “Ivor and I were in the middle of-”

 

“Please,” Ivor jeers. “You ran off screaming and crying-”

 

“I was not crying! I ran to get a sword! I was unarmed!” Radar says indignantly.

 

“Ok that’s enough!” Jesse quickly steps in. “I appreciate your vigilance, but there’s no reason to be alarmed. Radar, this is Aiden. Ivor, I’m sure you remember him from-”

 

“Of course I remember him! This is the same inconvenience who usurped Sky City’s throne and RUINED any chance we had at obtaining the Eversource!” Ivor yells.

 

“Ivor, you can’t possibly still be mad about that. Even if Aiden hadn’t been there, there’s no way we could have just taken Benedict away from those people,” Jesse tries to reason with him.

 

“Hmph. Well, what’s to say we couldn’t have negotiated something with the Founder if  _ he _ hadn’t barged in there-”

 

“Hey, I’m sorry ok?!” Aiden says, exasperated.

 

Ivor presses on with mean sneer, “Oh you’re sorry?-”

 

“Yeah, I am!” Aiden interrupts. “I’m sorry that I stole the flint and steel and I’m sorry you couldn’t find a way to meet the Founder about the Eversource. I’m sorry that I did any of it in the first place!”

 

Everyone is stunned into silence at Aiden’s outburst.

 

Aiden’s thumbnail runs over his finger as he continues. Chest heaving, he turns to face Lukas and doesn’t let himself look away.

 

“I’m sorry that I turned our friends against you. I’m sorry I forgot about how you came back for us when the Wither storm was attacking us. I’m sorry I took our friendship for granted, Lukas.”

 

Aiden’s voice wavers the slightest bit and his eyes shine with tears. Lukas can scarcely believe it. He hadn’t seen Aiden cry since they were both kids…

 

Aiden turns to Jesse.

 

“I’m sorry that I let my jealousy drive me insane. I never thought I’d lose it like that. I’m sorry that I lied and had you all thrown in jail. I’m sorry that I tried to kill you. I’m sorry I spent years making fun of you, Axel, Olivia and Reuben. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Aiden’s voice catches on his words.

 

“Hey… hey it’s ok,” Jesse says soothingly. “I forgive you, I really do. I forgive you.” 

 

Aiden sniffs. “That’s not enough. I can’t come here and cry for forgiveness and expect everything to be ok. I’m gonna work for it. I was a huge jerk for such a long time and I want to make it up to you guys.” Aiden takes a moment to swallow the lump in his throat. “I want to be your friend, if you’ll let me.”

 

Everyone was dumbfounded, especially Jesse and Lukas. Whatever they were expecting from Aiden, it certainly wasn’t this.

 

Jesse takes up Aiden’s hands again and softly squeezes them in assurance. “We can be friends, Aiden. We’re going to work on it, I promise.” she tells him.

 

“Thank you.” Aiden says sincerely.

 

Their hands linger for a moment before pulling apart and Aiden quickly wipes his eyes with his sleeve.

 

“Um,” Radar spoke up. “Since I wasn’t sure when you guys were coming back, I made up a room so you can stay for the night. It’s nearly sundown now and I don’t know if you live nearby, so the room is there for you, if you want it.”

 

“Yeah, I’d like that, thanks,” Aiden nods.

 

“Follow me, please.” Radar chirped.

 

Aiden quietly bids everyone good night and follows Radar to his room. 

 

The heavy silence that’s left behind only lasts for a moment.

 

“Jesse, you can’t possibly believe him, do you?” Ivor asks.

 

“Did you not just see him pour his heart out in front of all of us?” Jesse asks, with a warning edge in her voice.

 

“Ever heard of crocodile tears?” Ivor simply replies.

 

“Ivor, he’s had a really stressful day, cut him some slack-”

 

He quickly interrupts her. “If I recall correctly, and I do because I remember it  _ vividly _ , this is the same boy who not only had me thrown in prison and destroyed an entire city, but kicked you off said floating city and tried to run you through with a sword!”

 

“Hey,  _ you _ were the one who purposely got us arrested, so I don't see how that could have gone any differently,” Jesse counters. “And if  _ I  _ recall correctly, you’re also the same person who created an all-powerful abomination that nearly destroyed the entire world. So I think you’re a pretty good example of a bad guy becoming a good guy, don't you think Ivor?” she adds, giving him a pointed look.

 

Ivor grumbles. “Hmph, I suppose you’re right,” he concedes. “Fine. But I wouldn’t get so chummy with him anytime soon, if I were you.”

 

He briskly walks out the Order Hall. “If you need me, I’ll be in my lava house.”

 

It’s just Jesse and Lukas in the grand hall now. Another heavy pause echoes through the room until Jesse repeats her question from earlier.

 

“So, what do you think?”

 

There certainly was a lot to think about, so Lukas takes a moment to gather his thoughts into words.

 

“I have to say that I’m with Ivor on this one, though significantly less spiteful.” Lukas admits.

 

“You don’t trust him either.” Jesse says dryly.

 

“Simply put, no I don’t.” Lukas continues when he sees Jesse make a face. “Jesse, I’ve known him longer than you have, so I know for a fact that he’s not above manipulating people’s feelings to get what he wants. I don’t want him taking advantage of you… of us. I’m just being careful.”

 

Jesse sighs. “I know. And you have every right to be. But I just have a gut feeling about this. He seems sincere and... I think we should give him a chance.”

 

Lukas bites the inside of his cheek. 

 

_ ‘Maybe Jesse has a point. Am I being too harsh on Aiden?’ _

 

Jesse steps closer to him and speaks in a gentle voice. “Listen, I know that this is hard and with what Aiden is asking for, it’s only going to get harder. But… we’ve been through a lot together and I know that I can count on you.”

 

She places a hand on his shoulder and Lukas hopes she can’t see his heart pounding through his chest. She has his full attention now, he’s hanging on to every word.

 

“I know the risks of letting him back into our home town, but it’s the right thing to do. I’m not asking you to forgive him right now. I just... want you to try,” she says carefully. “We’re going to do this together, right? Like always?”

 

His hopeful heart leapt at her words and he nods. “Of course Jesse. You know that I’m here for you,” he chuckles softly. “Ok. I’ll try, but I’m still going to keep an eye on him.”

 

Jesse smiles. “That’s all I can ask for. Thanks Lukas.”

 

She steps out of his space and he immediately misses her warmth.

 

“It’s getting dark out. Do you want me to walk you home?” Jesse offers.

 

“Actually, I rode here on Junie so I’ll get home pretty quick. But thanks.” Lukas says politely.

 

“Oh...well, will you be coming back tomorrow?” she asks. She seemed the slightest bit nervous, but Lukas can’t seem to see why.

 

“Yes, absolutely.” Lukas firmly nods.

 

“Ok, I’ll see you then. Have a good night. And give Junie an apple for me!” She gives him a wide smile and Lukas feels another flutter run through his chest. 

 

“Good night Jesse. And I will!” He waves and he walks off, hoping she didn’t notice his warm cheeks.

 

\---

 

Lukas rides through Beacontown while thinking about the day.

 

_ ‘So, Aiden’s officially back now. I promised Jesse that I’d try to reconnect with him though, so it’s not like I can just subtly ignore him like I planned to do. But the thing that happened with him and Jesse, the whole holding hands thing… was I jealous? Was that jealousy? I need to get over this, it’s not like anything is gonna happen between them, romantic-wise. But he had been there when Isa and Milo had mistaken Jesse and me as a couple…’ _

 

Lukas’s hand flew up to his face in embarrassment.

 

_ ‘What was up with that anyway? It’s not like Jesse feels that way about me… but Aiden was there for that little mix-up. What if he uses that as blackmail… oh god-’ _

 

Lukas stumbles off that train of thought when he notices Junie slow down. They were home already.

 

_ ‘I guess all that overthinking really passed the time. I’m just glad we didn’t run into any mobs on the way here.’ _

 

He hops off and leads her back into her pen. After making sure she was given her apple and all settled in for the night, Lukas goes inside to get ready to sleep. As he climbs into bed, he thinks of how close Jesse was for that one moment and how she openly trusted him. 

 

_ ‘She’s done so much for me over these past couple of years and asks for so little in return. If she’s asking me to try to reconcile with Aiden, then it’s the least that I can do for her.’ _

 

Lukas turns to his side and begins to drift off, the events of the day catching up to his tired eyes.

 

_ ‘She trusts me and I won’t let her down…. We’re going to do this together… like always.’ _ ’

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was looking and asking around for the name of Lukas's horse but nothing was suggested, so I dubbed her Junie! I literally had to scroll through baby names until Junie popped up and I felt like it fit!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave me some comments and some feedback! Did I get the characters down? If not, how can I improve? Thank you so much for reading!


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